Out of the Blue
by imprisonedONcallisto
Summary: AU. There lies a secret within the depths of that reef. Something, powerful and fearful. It must be destroyed. FIRST FOUR CHAPTERS REWRITTEN!
1. Prologue

**For those who are new to my end of the fandom, hello~ Don't be too freaked out. I'm a nice person, honest. My sanity... it's questionable. I write a lot of AU. Don't know why, either. I'm still trying to figure it all out. We'll see, eventually.**

**For those of you who know me, hi again! It's nice to see you back!**

******Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to _Out of the Blue_. I have edited this thing, mostly simple things that needed to be done and what I missed when I originally edited it, so there's not too many changes to the original work than wording and what have you. **

******Anyway, I should probably let you read this. Enjoy!**

_******Disclaimer: For legal reasons obviously, I must say that I do not own any of the characters in this fic. The original concept for this fic was inspired by Hans Christian Andersen's**_******The Little Mermaid**_ **and was **_**_voted on by my faithful readers of _CE_. _**

* * *

**Out of the Blue**

**by iOc**

_**Prologue**_

Searing pain shot through her body, jolting her awake. Every part of her ached - from the nails on her feet to the split ends of her hair. She tried to move her arms, but found that she couldn't.

Her mind was foggy, as if clouded - cottoned by whatever drug that had been given to her.

Chloroform, perhaps? No, she would remember if it was chloroform. Nitrous oxide? Again, no. She didn't taste anything, but whatever it had been, had been strong.

The world around her danced and swayed like it did when she used to lay on her back in the boat she used to use to go out and check the buoys around the reef.

The reef. It was probably as far away as can be.

She had so many fond memories of her childhood on the reef. Going out and swimming in it, listening to the waves lap at it at night to help her sleep, the friends that she used to play with, her mother, Glacia and Galene who both frightened her greatly, Soul who had protected her all of these years without her consciously knowing…

Had she really not known he was there? No, she knew he had been - she had seen him so many times, keeping his distance. But she had never really thought it was him, just a ghost of the past. She had yearned to talk to him, but knew that she wouldn't be able to. He would just disappear like mist as the day rolls on, leaving her alone to question if she had really seen him or not.

She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, not of Soul in general, but of all thoughts of the reef. Her life had revolved around it, she had never been quite able to escape it. And here she was, now, so far away and free of its hold on her.

Yet, she longed to see it again. So many memories...

All of those memories about to be destroyed. Shattered by the woman standing in front of her. That vile woman. What was her name again? Maka couldn't remember.

The woman's malicious smirk crinkled the edges of her eyes that were so serpent-like, it was frightening. Her posture was so relaxed, so languid, Maka was reminded of a cobra or an asp.

If she hadn't been so weak from whatever drug that had been forced upon her or bound by the metal chains that burned her flesh, she would have tried to attack.

She winced looking down. The metal cut and burned the skin it covered. Her wrists stung not only from the chains, but also the salt water that encased her whole body.

She frowned. Salt water...?

She looked down at her legs and found what she had expected, the glimmer of green scales in blue lighting that rose up from a the bottom of the tank that was encasing her.

Indeed, she was in salt water. Only salt water could forcibly change her. It was a defense reaction that her body had when she was ever rendered unconscious. This was one of the many times that she wished that she was a full-blood and not some half-blood, that her body would react simply by adding gills under the hairline of her neck.

"Well," the woman outside of the tank said, "it is good to see you awake. You're mind is fully active now, according to our machines. You are definitely one in a million, you know that? It took us _years_ to track you down. Your mother planted more red herrings than hairs on your head, just to save you. Miss. Albarn, you have information I want and need. Will you let me get it the easy way or the hard way?"

* * *

**Well, like it? This is only the beginning.**

**Anyway, if you want to contact me I have a Facebook page (set up for likes), a Twitter, a deviantArt, AND a tumblr. So if you ever have any questions, comments, have the urge to hit me over the head with a blunt object or something feel free to visit those pages. (I have WAY too many ways for people to contact me XP).**

**I'm adding an annotated version of this fic to my dA, so if you want to read that just check it out at any given time. I'll be working on the annotations as I update and edit. Why? Because I can, that's why. And it'll be full of fun facts. (Not this one so much.) And they might have some spoilers. Just a warning.**

**I'll let you guys go for the time being. **

**Posted: Wednesday, July 31, 2013. 11.37 PM**


	2. Chapter I

**Hey, everyone! I'm back~ and with the first chapter. :D**

**So, originally I was going to post every week but then I decided every other week for this. It gives me plenty of time to work on the later chapters, edit, do the annotated version (available on my dA!), and a bunch of other things.**

_**Stages of Life **_**is still a tangled mess and until I can coax it out of its cage, not much is happening there.**

**As I mentioned, I did an annotated version of this fic and posted it on my dA (deviantArt). Don't really know if anyone wants to check it out but it's full of interesting comments and notations made by moi. There's a lot of things in there that people might enjoy reading, so I thought: "Why not?" It has its own folder and everything.**

**Don't forget, I'm on tumblr! I'm "icyandthefrostbites". Check me out! No seriously, check me out. A whole lot of fun going on over there.**

**Shameless self-promotion, whoo!**

**Now that _that's_ done...**

**Disclaimer: I do not own **_**Soul Eater**_**.**

**Claimer: Glacia and Galene are my original creations.**

* * *

**Out of the Blue**

**by iOc**

**Chapter I**

_**Alone**_

There are memories  
as far as a  
fantasy.  
A castle of sand near a shore of the ocean,  
Days of one gone summer,  
One gone summer...  
The days of the summer when love began.  
There was an old hotel  
on some lonely  
beach,  
Where we felt as the prince and the mermaid  
And only the moon saw our secret kiss.  
Days of one gone summer,  
One gone summer...  
Dreams were born and future was new  
The summer when love  
was young,  
And again I felt your smile  
on some days no  
sun shone.  
Again I died for a kiss one night I was alone  
And I never dare to forget  
the tender kiss  
of the little  
mermaid.  
— "The Mermaid" by Michael Andreas Trimmel

* * *

She had done this several times before, and still somehow she was still nervous and very, very frightened. They always left home this early in the morning to make this visit. She loved the sea with a passion but… there was something about it that made her feel uncomfortable.

She clung to her mother's waist, like a barnacle on the hull of a ship. Her toes brushed the water and she felt the familiar sensation of the transformation with each lap of the waves. It tingled as they would after they asleep and were waking up.

Her tiny hands grasped at the necklace that hung around her neck. It was made from a thick shell that had been carved into an ornate hook. Various lines made small wave-like patterns across its relatively smooth, ivory surface. A red string tied the hook to her neck officially. It was very special to her. What it symbolized, though, was a mystery to her innocent mind.

"Mama," she said quietly, "I don't want to go."

"Oh come now, you'll have fun." her mother said in the patronizing, promising way she always did. "There are playmates waiting for you. Don't you want to see them?"

"Why can't I play with human children like Papa wants me to?"

"Maka, darling, you need to learn how to be around others like your other half, your ningyo half (1)."

"But they're mean to me!" she said accusingly. She stomped her bare foot, sending a spray of water and sand up to cling to their pale flesh and swim clothes.

"They don't know you." her mother said, petting the half-girl's blonde hair.

"They swim faster than me and always make me be it when we play tag. It's not fair! It's never fair…"

The woman sighed. She understood her daughter's frustration. She had been born in to this place as a part of two completely different worlds. She would never really fit in with the human children, as they were bound to make fun of her and bully her for being different. She would never really fit in with the ningyo children either, she would be shunned for having human blood flowing through her veins. The half-girl was an innocent caught in a trap of a life that she could not escape. And it was not her fault. She had never asked for such a life, it had been handed to her rather cruelly.

"Maka, just one more time, please?"

"You said that last time." the half-girl said, crossing her arms and pouting.

"And you had fun last time, right?"

"...I guess." she said, muttering.

"Come on, sweetheart."

The little girl followed her mother into the ocean, where she was enveloped by the brine and water. Her legs cramped and tingled as scales began to grow from her skin and her legs fused into one limb. Her arms prickled as shiny scaled shivered up past her pale flesh. A thin webbing grew in between her fingers. The skin on her neck slit in three places on each side, forming gills that enabled her to breathe in the water world.

This form, her ningyo form, was as familiar to her as her human one.

The mother lead the daughter to a small clearing hidden from the human eyes in the reef not too far away from the shoreline, where they lived. The small clearing was the perfect spot for ningyo offspring to play. There were tunnels that created a labyrinth, which only their small bodies could squeeze through, and wound throughout the area in the reef.

Already a group of children were gathered playing various games with one another. None of them rushed to greet Maka. They looked at her and then looked away — uninterested in the half-ningyo hiding behind her mother's tail.

She waited shyly next to her mother, who chatted with some of the ningyo women. They would coo at how lovely the strange, little one's eyes were and how adorable she was. She waited to be invited to play a game with the others.

Time passed and the more she waited, the more she felt alone. It was a tragedy for any child, and Maka felt this way in both the human world and the ningyo world.

She watched quietly, perched on a ledge above her mother's head, as the other children played. They all seemed so happy. Why couldn't she ever feel like that?

After and hour or so more, she decided to go swim around the labyrinth. Perhaps a little adventure was all she needed.

Maka lazily moved through the tunnels. A few children stared at her — one or two had the nerve to _hiss_ as she passed — but, as per usual, the vast majority ignored her, Not that she minded. She was glad for it this time.

She looped in and out, never really running into anyone. When she tired of that, she swam around the main part of the reef.

Something red caught her eye. Fan coral.

Happily, she swam over to the patch and examined it. She would have liked to cut some off, take it home to dry it out, and hang it from her ceiling. It was illegal, she knew, but she just found it to be so pretty…

She shook her head and frowned.

The important thing was that she now knew where to find fan coral, and… Was that a cave?

Looking around, she saw that no one was watching her and, smiling, she dove into the cave. It was much cooler inside than out in the sun-filled reef.

She sat down and looked around. She was happy to see that it wasn't very large — just enough to fit her and maybe two others her size. She could see the shadows pass by, unaware of the secret spot just beyond their sight.

It was perfect.

She had started to doze off when she thought that she had found. The fan coral was brushed aside, and the boy who had found her was one she did not recognize. He seemed to be quite startled as to see her as well.

Without warning, he pushed the both of them into the far corner, shielding her from sight. He covered her mouth with his hand. Gruff voices sounded from outside their hiding spot.

"He has to be around here somewhere." said one voice. "We saw him swim over in this direction."

"If we keep stalling," said a second, "he'll only get farther away. The lady needs him back as soon as possible."

"Fine, come on." another said, grumbling.

When they were gone, he uncovered her mouth and they both let out a breath that neither of them had known that they were holding.

She turned and took a good look at him. He was the most _terrifying_ ningyo child she had ever seen. His hair lacked any sort of color, like a polar bear's. His eyes, like his hair, lacked any sort of melanin so they showed off the red of the blood vessels at the back of the muscles when the light hit them just right, otherwise they looked black or dark brown. His smile was too twisted, too sadistic for someone their age. How could such a terrifying child exist?

"What...? Who...?" Maka began but couldn't seem to find the words to finish. She found that, despite his terrifying features, she did not fear him. She was as intrigued by him as she was the fan coral.

"My mother has guests coming over later." he said simply. "They are always horrid people that talk about each other behind their backs. Even their children are cruel."

"They sound horrible."

"They are. Most of them smell of decay and have missing teeth. And despite that, they all sit around and eat, gossiping as though it was like breathing."

Maka wrinkled her nose, completely understanding. She recalled the dinner that her father had hosted several months ago. She had been forced to wear a dress that was been ironed with starch. Everyone there had smelled of alcohol and had been acting like a bunch of idiots.

"I'm Maka." she said.

"You don't want to be my friend." he said to her, frowning.

"Why not?"

"I'll only bring you trouble."

"No you won't. Trouble is my father, a flirtatious drunk. He's very stupid and claims that he loves me and Mama. He really doesn't. Mama even says so."

"Got you!"

Two large hands reached through the fan coral and grabbed the both of them. Maka cried out in surprise. The ningyo boy trashed and fought for release.

"Well, well, looks like the little Master has a new partner in crime." said one of the ningyo male who had captured them. The ningyo boy roared and bit down on the hand that held him. The male cursed, releasing them both.

The ningyo boy grabbed Maka's hand and pulled her through the labyrinth of the reef. They shot through the tunnels, startling several ningyo children as they went. They fired out of a tunnel in the clearing.

Maka's mother looked at them and frowned.

"What on earth...?" she said as her daughter hid behind her tail, still holding onto the ningyo boy's hand. "Maka —"

"Hand over the young Master." one of the ningyo males said.

The mothers all looked quite shocked to see grown males in this area. Very few dared to enter the reef clearing, it was a spot sacred to women and children twelve years or age and younger. It was almost a taboo for them to do so.

"Be wise, Sister." said one of the other males. "Don't cause any trouble."

"Do you know who I am?" Maka's mother asked. "I am Kami, daughter of Resei of Anuta and Hergod of Treshera. This boy is under my care."

"He escaped from the guards that were supposed to be watching him." the first male said, snarling and barring his teeth. "His mother sent us to look for him?"

"His mother asked _me_ to watch him."

"Do you know who _his_ mother even is? She's Lady Glacia of the Northern Tip."

"If you knew anything about Lady Kami," one of the other mothers said, "you would know that she and Lady Glacia are old friends."

"They grew up together, you moronic fiends." said another mother.

"Lady Kami was asked to bring the boy here so that he could be with others his age. He and Lady Kami's daughter are tied by the red string. Are you blind to not see the way he protects her so?"

The ningyo males froze. Eyeing the children. The ningyo boy, while behind Kami's tail, was defensively positioned in front of Maka. This was something that escaped the little girl's attention until it was mentioned.

"We... apologize, Lady Kami for not... recognizing you earlier." said the third male, bowing slightly.

Maka looked up at her mother, blinking her green eyes innocently. She then looked at the ningyo males, who seemed quite startled by the intensity of the unusual color of eyes for a ningyo.

"Come along, you two." Kami said, grabbing both of their wrists. She looked down at the ningyo boy. "I have to go see your mother anyway, Soul."

She made note that when he got the chance, he wriggled out of her grasp and took Maka's hand as they made their way to the place he lived.

* * *

Although this was the first time Maka ever met the infamous Glacia of the Northern Tip, the half-ningyo felt drawn to the beautiful woman instantly. She felt a strange bond between them, as she had with the ningyo boy, Soul.

Glacia huffed a sigh past her full lips to frown upon her son, who was ready to shoot back fierce answers of protest while almost clinging to Maka's hand and hiding behind her tiny frame.

"I expected better of you, Soul." the ningyo female said, sighing. "I expect so much of you. Why can't you be like your brother? He's so good and never causes me any pains or worries like you do."

"Wes is too good!" Soul said loudly. "He loves you too much. You don't deserve big brother's love."

"He really cares for you, you know that, right, Soul?"

"Glacia, dear friend, perhaps your son, Soul, is simply looking for his freedom." Kami said in her calmest of voices. It was a rarity to hear it. "Boys his age do need their independence. We cannot allow them to cling to our bosoms forever, dear friend."

"Kami, sweetest seaweed, you are right. Perhaps I _should _give my Soul more freedom while your precious gem of a darling is here. Go on, you two, go play. We'll call you when it's time to go. Stay where we can see you, though."

The two children looked at their respective parent and then at each other. Smiling, they raced off to the seaweed maze at the far corner of the large garden.

"Your mama's really pretty." Maka said as they found a shaded spot, far from the view of their mothers. Soul lied back and closed his eyes, as if to nap there.

"She's okay, I guess." he said, muttering.

"You two don't get along?"

"We used to, but then she got strict about a lot of things and told me to start acting my age."

"Mamas do that."

"I guess." Soul said, huffing.

Maka joined him by lying on her back. They looked above the world around them. They could faintly see the sun and the sky filtering through the silty waves of the ocean world. They remained quiet for quite some time before their mothers called to them, asking them to hurry.

* * *

Maka and Soul could only gawk at the cacaelia named Galene, who welcomed the four of them into her home (2). The place was colorful and homey, filled with exotic scents and peculiar items.

Galene, in contrast to her home, was intimidating and wrinkled with age. Her lower half wriggled and wreathed together, often looking as if it would tangle and get caught. Neither had ever seen anyone with such an interesting half, especially an octopi half. Her body constantly shifted color as she moved across various stone surfaces. Her hair was long and fanned out behind her, as twisted and tantalizing as her tentacles. Shells and stones that were stringed into the dark strands, glinting in the amber light of the place. Instead of a mouth and a nose, she had a beak of sorts that would click as she spoke.

"Welcome, welcome." she said. "Names, names?"

"Kami, daughter of Resei of Anuta and Hergod of Treshera, and Glacia of the Northern Tip." the golden-haired woman said. "These are our children, Maka and Soul."

"You were going to read them today." the dark-haired woman said, continuing on with what for her friend had started to say. "We contacted you last week, I believe."

Galene eyed them with unblinking, beady eyes. She nodded slowly after a moment or so, recalling their conversation.

"Hold out left hands, hatchlings. Hold out left hands." the cacaelia instructed, her beak lightly clicking.

The two did as they had been told.

Galene snatched their wrists and studied their palms, their fingers, the backs of their hands, and their wrists. Her beak would almost brush their flesh as she did so. She nodded and eventually freed their hands.

"Good sign, good sign." she muttered heading into another room to find something. Maka was amazed at how the shelving units followed the curve up to the ceiling and how the items stayed in place. A spell, perhaps, held them there.

"We were correct then?" Kami said quietly but hopefully. "No mistakes?"

"Yes, yes. Good, smart. No mistakes, none. Much peace and much prosperity. Much, much. But bad times come, bad times. Much darkness, swallows all. Everything gone, gone. Many year pass, many. Watch waves, watch." Her words slowly trailed off, quite dramatically to the listeners.

Kami and Glacia tried to translate what the cacaelia had said as she chose out something that glittered a white-tawny color in the light.

Maka and Soul studied their hands. What was so special about them? They were just hands, there was really nothing unique about them... right?

Galene grabbed both of their wrists again. She placed the blade she had gotten from a shelf in between their palms, angled downwards. She crushed their hands to it and swiped it down, cleanly slicing skin.

The two ningyo children cried out in surprise and in pain, and again when their arms tingled. Their fingers laced with one another to hold their palms together as a euphoric sensation overwhelmed their senses and took over all other thoughts. What on _Earth_ was going on?

Galene ripped their hands apart at the exact moment they thought their bodies would dissolve into sea foam. A thin, red string of blood stretched between their hands, arching up in the water to the ceiling. The Sea Witch caught it in a small vial in one swift movement of her wrist.

"Don't worry, little ones. Don't worry." she said, patting their heads. "Don't worry, don't worry. Rub this on hands, on hands now. It help heal, help heal."

She handed Kami a small jar that caused the blonde ningyo woman to wrinkle her nose in disgust from the scent of the strange potion within it.

Kami and Glacia rubbed in the potion, which went on green but faded into nothing as it was forced into the skin by the constant circular massage. The thin lines from where the two ningyo children had been cut healed over almost immediately.

Maka and Soul studied their palms in amazement and wonder. Their eyes glittered. Small fingers traced over the scars. Smiles dimpled their cheeks with how wide they spread out their faces with glee.

Galene mixed the blood she had caught in with a potion from another jar she gotten out. She slid over to the children. Chanting a language no one else in the room knew, she took a small utensil and drew strange, swirling patterns on the backs of their hands.

A loud _**bang**_ outside stopped her halfway through the peculiar ceremony. The world around them shook furiously. People outside began to scream and buildings of coral and rock began to crumble.

Galene hurriedly continued what she was doing, her voice raising and quickening but never faltering.

_**Bang! Bang! Ba-bang!**_

Kami and Glacia, peeked outside. They gasped and turned back to Galene and their children, silently pleading.

"Done!" Galene said, tossing her hands in the air.

"Lady Sea Witch, is there a safe place where the children can hide?" Glacia said urgently.

The cacaelia nodded and swam over to one of the shelving units. She pulled and clawed at it, grunting as she exposed a hidden tunnel.

"Hatchlings go through tunnel, safe through tunnel." the cacaelia clacked, pointing into the darkness. "They escape, escape! Flee now, _now_! Darkness coming, darkness coming!"

Maka did not like the way Galene's voice quavered as she spoke. It was terrifying. She had no idea what was going on outside, except that people were fleeing and screaming and things were being destroyed. She could hear the rhythmic _**bang, bang!**_ of whatever was destroying the reef home of the ningyo. She could hear things crashing to the sandy bottom. She could hear the wails of the injured and the mourning. While she could not physically see any of it, her over-active imagination was conjuring up vivid images of dying ningyo, the destroyed homes and shops, the ferocious creatures attacking.

Attacking? Yes, the reef was under attack.

She was drawn away into the reality of it all by her mother's warm embrace.

"Maka, love," she said, kissing the half-ningyo's forehead and stroking her hair, "I will find you when it's safe again. Soul, please take care of her. Do _not_ leave her side. She needs you to protect her. Promise me?"

"I promise." Soul said, saluting her and pulling Maka to his side.

"Swim fast, fast." Galene said to the two children. "Be safe, be safe."

The two headed down the tunnel. As soon as they were both in, Galene shoved the shelving unit back into place, closing off all of the light from the tunnel. Maka shivered as she was engulfed in the darkness with only Soul's warm hand holding her's to light the way.

Another _**bang**_ shook the tunnel. Small pebbles and dust were knocked loose. Maka could almost imagine it swirling down before clattering down the slope to the entrance.

Soul tugged her along, swimming quickly to get out of the darkness. Maka swam, but at a much slower pace. The little male often had to pull at her arm to get her to move.

"I'm worried about Mama." she said quietly to him.

"I know." Soul said, squeezing her hand.

She squeezed back.

The tunnel eventually opened up into a cave that looked out onto the reef on the opposite end of the cliff that her house was perched on.

They found a little strip of a beach. It offered the warm light of the panting sun as it slowly made it's decent into the orangey sky and the laughing moon rose.

Soul watched with interest as Maka's tail became two legs. He poked the flesh and found that it was quite soft, unlike the hardness of a ningyo tail.

"Stop." Maka said to him, swatting at his hand. She was quite ticklish and didn't like people touching her. She very much loved her personal space, as it was what it was called, personal. Besides she wasn't in the mood to really be tickled by anyone. Especially Soul.

"I've never seen those before." Soul said to her. "Mother told me about them and how some ningyo, because they trained _really_ hard, were able to walk on them. Is it hard to walk?"

"I don't know. Sometimes it is, but most of the time I don't even think about it. It's like swimming in the reef. You don't _think_ about, you just _do_ it." She didn't want to mention the lump that swelled in her throat at the mention of the reef. Her mind flashed through past memories and the ones that were made today.

"Like swimming, hm? Sounds easy enough."

"...Do you want to walk?"

"I don't know how."

"Then promise me that you'll learn so that we can play on the land some time."

"I promise."

They sat in silence for a while, listening to the sounds of the shaking on the other side. When it quieted down, Soul said, "I'm going to see if everyone's alright?"

He slid into the water. Maka stood up and grabbed onto his tail. He stopped. It was forbidden to touch another's tail without their permission or if they were bond mates. The water splashed her shins, but no higher. It was cold. She could feel the familiarity of the transformation, battling it off with her mind.

"Please... please don't leave me alone, Soul." she said, pleading. She felt her eyes heat up and burn with salty tears. "You promised Mama. Please..."

"I'll be right back. I promise. I won't leave you alone for very long."

She waited.

He never came back.

* * *

**1. Ninyo, literally "human fish" in Japanese. They are a mermaid-like race. More information on my version of the ningyo will be provided within the text of later chapters.**

**2. Cacaelia, "octopus person," were made famous by Disney's **_**The Little Mermaid**_**. In popular fiction, they have been dubbed as "Sea Witches," which is something I carried over into this. Galene is the only cacaelia I have in this story.**

* * *

**Whole lot of fun going on over here. Missed people's birthdays, crickets are going off, I'll be starting school in less than two weeks... And I have YET to get my books. *sigh* I should do that soon.**

**But I have some good news for you guys. I found all of my old notes! They were all in one place, an old binder I used in junior high. :D Bad news is, they're really crappy notes because I sucked at plotting out a story in its entirety a few years ago.**

**Most of those side notes are featured in my annotated version on dA. (Seriously, I'm going to keep promoting it until people start checking it out.) It's nicely organized at the moment by chapter, so you can start on the first page with the prologue and work your way to the end. Right now (at this posting) There are only two things up, so don't be left behind. Check it out.**

**So, yeah... I should get to bed here.**

**Posted: Friday, August 16, 2013 1.20 AM**


	3. Chapter II

**Soooooooooooooooo meant to get this up earlier today. School kind of has taken over, but the important thing is that I'm ahead in math. Now, I just need to write 250 words of a journal for Creative Writing. That assignment will be on WordPress. I only opened the account for the class but for anyone who's interested, I'm fairytalefly. (I am on _WAY_ too many sites. Ugh! Stupid teacher. JK, he's the best. He was my Shakespeare teacher last semester. He talks about _Hamlet_ a lot in CW. A little too much. Can we just kill the titular character yet?)**

**For those who are wondering: Yes, I am still doing my math notes in pen. What? I _like_ pens. Besides, I'm really sort of just learning these lessons as I go. Anyone know anything about Euler? (laughs) No, seriously. I have no idea what I'm doing.**

**In other news, I've joined an RP group and I may have a chance at reserving the character I want! ^3^ Please ignore me, I feel a little chuffed right now. This has been a rather good day. You know, despite me not posting this in the afternoon like I wanted.**

**For those who read the annotated version on my dA, it will be up tomorrow. I need to tweak a few things and add a few more notes. Great way to spend a Friday, if you ask me.**

**I don't think I mentioned it in the last chapter, but the cover for this story? I found the picture on Google. I edited it myself. The full version is available on my Tumblr. Just browse through my "out of the blue ioc" tag. You don't have to have an account to do so.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Soul Eater_.**

* * *

**Out of the Blue**

**by iOc**

**Chapter II**

_**Belonging**_

"It's not easy

To be me…"

—"Superman (It's not easy)" by Five for Fighting

* * *

They were talking about her.

She could hear them. Their hushed voices and curious glances at her small form leaning again the cool brick of the school. She did not much care to be outside for recess, finding it a complete waste of time. She would rather be in a classroom, learning something valuable.

It was on this particular day that she was bored and decided to connect with someone else for once.

She looked around the playground. Her peers were running around, chasing each other during a game of tag, a soccer game was going, and some others were on the swings. One girl, however, was standing around, looking quite frightened. It was that girl she decided to befriend.

The tiny blonde strode over to the timid girl, a bounce in her step and her ponytails swaying back and forth as she marched to the possible new friend.

Something about that, she liked the sound of "new" and "friend" ringing gleefully in her heart. Oh the possibilities! There was a definite thrill at that thought.

"Hi." she said cheerily, looking upwards only slightly to meet the other girl's eyes, which were a startlingly dark blue-violet hue.

"Hello." the other girl said, much less optimistic.

"My name is Maka Albarn. You're new here, correct?"

"Oh, it is nice to meet you Maka-san. My name is Nakatsukasa Tsubaki. Yes, I am new here. My family and I just moved here from Japan a few days ago."

Maka looked her over. What was with the "-san" thing? She shrugged it off. It must be something people did in Japan.

"Do you want to be friends?" she said.

"Sure!"

* * *

Maka hopped onto the cushiony chair that sat next to the many beanbags, inflatable chairs, and plush pillows. She liked the chair and how it made her feel important.

"Hello, Miss Albarn, how are we this week?" the tall, dark-haired woman said.

"Fine." the girl said. "I made a friend this week."

"Oh, did you?"

"Uh-huh. Her name is Tsubaki. Her family is from Japan. She has an older brother and both her mama and her papa. I haven't met her papa yet, but he sounds like a nice man. Her brother is already in high school. He picked her up yesterday. I think he was trying to be funny, but I'm not quite sure. He's jokes were all old knock-knock jokes. After this appointment, I'm going to spend the night at their house."

"Your first ever sleepover, correct?"

"Yep."

"Are you excited?"

"Why wouldn't I be? Tsubaki's mama promised me a traditional Japanese dinner and she's going to teach me to make onigiri. I looked up what onigiri are, they're rice balls. I've never had one. Ms. Azusa, have you had one?"

"I have."

"Are they good?"

"They can be."

Maka smiled. Every part of her was humming with excitement. She simply could not wait for later. She was going to enjoy sleepovers with Tsubaki.

"Now, let's get on to more serious business." Yumi Azusa said, clicking her pen. "Last time you were telling me about the last day you saw your mother. Let's continue from there."

* * *

The two girls were giggling like madwomen.

No matter how many times they wet their hands, grains of rice were still sticking to their fingers and palms. Despite this, they made several onigiri. Pickled plums were hidden between the grains, a surprise for anyone who found the little treat (1).

Tsubaki's mother, Saiyuri, watched them as they carefully scooped out the rice and formed them into rounded triangle shapes and then into odd shapes (for example, a bunny rabbit, a rectangle, et cetera). She was amazed at how they were able to make a miniature version of the Taj Mahal. A few pictures later, it was covered with saran wrap and put into the refrigerator to set until it could be eaten in the morning.

After they made their onigiri, Saiyuri sent them into the bathroom to wash up for the night and tucked them into the futons she had set up in Tsubaki's room. Even though she herself was tired, they were not.

Their voices were soft and they spoke in hushed whispers. They would shush each other when their giggling got too loud, which sent them into even longer fits of laughter.

The mother was happy to see that her daughter had made a healthy friendship with a girl her own age, who was just as intelligent, if not more so, as Tsubaki. She really hoped that the two would remain lifelong friends as they really did need each other.

* * *

Over the next few years, Maka and Tsubaki became inseparable. Tsubaki was able to make some of the kids in their class understand that Maka was the way she was because of the loss of her mother. It was because of that, that they told each other everything.

Well, almost everything.

Maka kept Tsubaki in the dark about her being half-ningyo. She was extra careful around her friend and never went into any salt water. Human beings were never to know of the existence on the ningyo people, they were beings of myth, of course. Besides, she did not want to loose the on real friend she had.

It was the start of the summer before their eighth grade year. They were just as excited as anyone else in their class.

"Can you believe it?" Maka said animatedly. She spun around, her skirt dancing high above her knees in the sudden movement and the breeze that drifted off the ocean. "We'll be eighth graders this year!"

The two were walking to the only hotel in town, Maka's home and her father's work. Tsubaki would be staying the night once. Over the years, the two stayed at one or the other's house every weekend. Tonight was no exception.

Normally, they would both be excited. Tsubaki was not, however. Maka sensed something immediately after she picked her friend up from her house. She decided that Tsubaki would simply forget about it after she was cheered up. But her plan wasn't working.

"Tsubaki, what's wrong?" Maka said firmly. "You haven't said much."

"Huh?" the dark-haired girl said, looking up and blinking. "Oh, it's nothing for you to worry about, Maka-chan."

Maka had learned that "-chan," like "-san" from so many years before, was an honorific. It was something that was added to a person's name to keep from insulting the other person. Maka had told Tsubaki she needn't add it to her name, but the girl refused and changed "-san" to "-chan" within days of them becoming friends.

"You're lying." the blonde girl said.

Tsubaki stopped walking. Of course, Maka _would_ and _could_ tell when she was lying, but she would only say something when they were alone. The blonde was the only one who was able to tell these things.

"My family's moving away, Maka-chan."

* * *

The next few days, Maka debated whether or not she should let Tsubaki in on her family secret. There was a great possibility that her friend would accept her for who she was, no matter what. However, there was still the chance that she wouldn't. That string of doubt hung heavy over her heart.

Tsubaki wasn't one to treat others wrongly because of the way they look or act or the secrets they kept. She judged them on the goodness in their hearts. But, she was easily scared and she was human. If she saw Maka's other half, she might freak and tell everyone. That wouldn't be good.

A knock at her bedroom door made her jump, startling her out of her thoughts. Her father poked his head in to check on her. He found her on her bed in a white tank top and matching shorts with an open notebook in front of her. Although he could not read what was written, he could clearly see the scribbles of the letters and the line dividing the page.

"Hey there," he said, smiling. "Why aren't you asleep yet?"

"I'm having a dilemma." she said, huffing. She rested her cheek on the palm of her hand and rested her elbow on her knee.

"Must be something big if you still haven't figured it out."

"It is."

"Mind telling me? I may be able to help."

Maka bit her lip. Normally she wouldn't discuss things with her father, things like this would be discussed by mothers.

"Is it about boys? You know what I said about them, they'll only try to use you and hurt you."

_I know_, she thought, rolling her eyes. _You're one of them._

"It's not about boys." she said.

"What is it about?"

"I want to tell Tsubaki about... about the ningyo thing."

He frowned.

"Maka..."

"I know, Papa. I know. But it's_ Tsubaki_. As in, my best friend Tsubaki. She deserves to at least know. She's bound to find out sooner or later."

He sighed. She was correct, as always. Tsubaki was going to eventually find out.

"Do whatever feels right." he said, pecking her on her forehead before leaving the room for the night.

* * *

"So, what did you want to show me, Maka-chan?" Tsubaki said. It was her last weekend here and she was staying it at the motel.

The two girls had headed down to the strip of beach hidden from the view of town. It was rather dark and the climb down was precarious, but Maka wanted to show her friend something unlike she has ever seen.

"Tsubaki, promise me that you won't hate me or tell anyone about this." Maka said, pleading. "It's a really, really, _really_ big secret. Only a select few know about it. So, promise me?"

"Maka-chan, of course I promise."

The two locked eyes and Maka saw that she was sincere, as always. Tsubaki was more reliable than Ol' Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. There was no doubt now, no going back.

"Alright." the blonde said, mumbling mostly to herself. She walked over to where the waves were lapping the sand. Her toes brushed the cold liquid. She shivered because of the temperature and in delight. It had been some time since she had transformed. Years, actually.

God, how she missed that odd euphoric feeling that was actually quite painful. Maybe she was a masochist…

Tsubaki watched as her friend walked deeper into the water. She had always thought that Maka feared the ocean because she lost her mother to it. She was always sad while gazing out at it. Though, now that she thought about it, she was never really sad. There more of a... longing when she watched it. And that longing was being explained right before her eyes.

Her friend's arms glazed over with fishy scales, and her lower limbs slowly formed into a tail. Her pale skin went from pale to an unhealthy hue. A thin webbing appeared between her fingers. She was also quite sure that those were gills behind the girl's ears…

The dark-haired girl did not know what to think. Sitting before her in the cool ocean was a legendary creature of old.

"What...?" Tsubaki said, trying to begin a coherent sentence. "How..?"

"I'm half." Maka said, explaining.

"Half?"

"Half-ningyo, half-human. Mama's a full-blooded ningyo, Papa's a human. Mama and the rest of the ningyo in the area were attacked the summer before I met you and we became friends. They were all taken away, including Soul. I don't know what happened to them."

"Soul?"

"He was... is a good friend. I don't really remember him, but he was nice and warm and very protective of me. I didn't know him a long…"

"He sounds like a wonderful person." Tsubaki said, smiling softly. "Come on, you're shivering. Let's get you inside."

She helped the blonde out of the water and watched as she changed back. The two trotted back up to the hotel, wet and shivering. They quickly changed into their night clothes and wrapped themselves in warm, wool blankets despite the heat of the night. They spent the night smiling at one another, knowing that they shared a very big secret between them.

When they were about to sleep for the night, Tsubaki called to her friend.

"Huhn?" Maka said, half asleep.

"Do you believe that Soul and your mother are still alive?"

There was a moment of silence as Maka thought it over, or so it seemed to Tsubaki.

"Yes." was the soft reply she got.

* * *

"Have fun in your new home." Maka said feebly, saying farewell to her truest of friends.

"I will. Oh, don't forget to take care of the garden." Tsubaki said.

"Don't forget to create a new one and to send me emails and pictures everyday."

"I say the same for you."

The two stared awkwardly at their feet for a moment or two before embracing and clinging to one another. They held tightly, not wanting to leave one behind or to let the other go with the wind.

"Tsubaki," Saiyuri said gently, "time to go."

The two reluctantly let go. Tsubaki walked over to the mini van and Maka watched from a distance. The dark-haired girl stopped and turned around.

"Don't forget to keep me updated on the secret if there's any developments."

The blonde beamed in response.

And as the van was pulling away, Tsubaki called out the window, "Don't forget to keep looking for Soul. Let me know if you meet him again!"

"I will!" Maka said, promising and waving goodbye.

"Uh, Maka?" her father said. "Who's Soul?"

* * *

**1. I have only made onigiri a few times. I suck at making them, by the way. I'm really tempted to ask my friend to make some for me. Hmm... Maybe I should go do that soon.**

**So, yeah. Not much has changed since the original post. I couldn't think of much that I wanted to change when I was going over everything. That and my sister has been watching _Desperate Housewives_ and I get a little caught up in the plot...**

**ANYWAY! Tsubaki's mother is named after Saiyuri from _Memoirs of a Geisha_. Yay for random naming. XD**

**Now onto the long list of thank yous that I owe all of you wonderful people~**

* * *

**Thank you to darkangel565, seaslug6, hitty-chan, SymmetricalGirl8DeathTheKid, and FanfictionForUs for adding this story to their favorite stories list.**

**Thank you to darkangel565, Animefreak0321, thefallingout, ToriaPaige, PandaMoeniam, BloodInTheNile, SymmetricalGirl8DeathTheKid, RoraDracon, FanfictionForUs, and JellyRain for adding this story to their story alerts list.**

**Thank you to BloodInTheNile for adding me to your favorite authors list and to your author alerts list.  
**

**SymmetricalGirl8DeathTheKid: I'm glad that you are enjoying this. ^_^**

**RoraDracon: Here's another update! Hope that it sates your interested for the time being.**

**FanfictionForUs: Yeah, I wanted to change that part from Maka playing with the others to not playing with them. I really wanted to show the sort of racism purebred have against half-breeds. The original scene, I decided, would contradict later chapters.**

**Note: If I missed anyone, I'm sorry. My hotmail has been a little weird, so I had to go digging through old files. I know that I responded to people who PMed me and reviewed earlier this year, but anyone one else I'm sorry.**

**Until next time!**

**Posted: Thursday, August 29, 2013 at 10.35 PM**


	4. Chapter III

**Sorry about this being a day late! I got kind of busy with homework and... stuff... Won't tell you the details. Kind of really gross. On top of that, I'm getting over a cold. That was, surprisingly, the _least_ gross part of my two weeks.**

**Anyway, here's chapter three. Don't forget to check out the annotated version on my deviantArt. There's lost of little notes on details and thoughts on things that are pretty interesting and well worth the read through.**

**Dislcaimer: Not even going to attempt to come up with a clever way to say that I don't legally own this and blah blah blah blah blah. Oh, wait. I did.**

**Out of the Blue**

**by iOc**

**Chapter III**

_**Chiding**_

Heroes and thieves at my door,

Can't seem to tell them apart anymore...

— "Heroes and Thieves" by Vanessa Carlton

* * *

The house at the end of the street, which went through the town, was a white beach house with balconies and zig-zagging stairs leading up to the other floors. This house, like every building on this street, doubled as a home. The fourteen guest rooms were lavishly decorated and each had their own private bathroom. The two bedrooms, which were for the owner and his daughter, were more personal but they were just as nice as the rest of the place.

It was in her bedroom on the first full day of summer that Maka Albarn woke up to the sound of heavy rapping at her door. At sixteen, she was quite mature and well-read, however traces of her teenage years were still quite visible in many of her acts and features. Hoping to sleep in later than she was allowed to was one of them.

It was the sharp raps on her door that woke her up.

Moaning and groaning, she detangled herself from her sheets and stumbled to the door. She knew that the only person who was dumb enough to do such a thing, would be the hired help for the summer.

She detangling herself from her sheets. She tripped on her school uniform (wasn't that supposed to be in the hamper next to the door?), landing with a _slap_ of her palms and a _thunk_ on her knees on the hard wood flooring. She cursed, rather loudly, using words she very rarely used.

"What?" she croaked out in annoyance as she opened the door. Her hair was a tangled mess, her tank top was askew and the boxer shorts she wore to bed were twisted on her hips.

"Well, good morning to you too." the dark-skinned young man said, smirking. "Nice... everything."

"Shut it. I just woke up. I'm not ready to be picked on yet, Kilik."

"Your father sent me up. He needs you downstairs as quickly as you can get ready."

"I'll be down in fifteen minutes. Just let me get changed and stuff."

"Whatever."

She closed her door and headed over to her wardrobe and dug out a clean, yellow and orange tank top and a pair of green, khaki shorts that she had gotten in the boys section at Target. They were comfy enough to work in and rather trendy at the moment. Not that she was really into fashion, she just happened to pick the items out when she went hopping for summer clothes the month before.

She hopped downstairs to the dining area where Kilik was catering to three rather pretty women, who were giggling and talking about him rather loudly.

"Oh, isn't he the cutest?" the blonde squealed to her friends.

"Tee hee, he's blushing." the redhead giggled.

"Oh, I bet he has a girlfriend." sighed the brunette.

"Aw, way to ruin the my train of thoughts." the blonde huffed.

"So~orry."

"Hey, cutie, do you have a girlfriend?" the redhead asked, tugging on his sleeve.

Maka couldn't help but giggle at Kilik's quite obvious blush.

"Ooo!" squealed the brunette, spotting Maka. "It's the hotel man's daughter! She's so cute! Oh, I love your eyes. I wish my eyes were big and green and all shiny like your's instead of this icky brown."

"That's such a cute outfit on you!" the blonde cried. All three of them instantly latched themselves onto the teen girl.

Kilik stifled his laughter as he cleared the table that they had been sitting at. They were a noisy, messy bunch of college girls who fawned over anything they deemed 'adorable.' Maka fit their description just fine, what with her green doe eyes, round face with cherubic cheeks, childish ponytails, and tomboyish attire. She really hadn't changed since the day Ox had formally introduced her to him some years ago.

"Why don't you ladies sit down and I'll get you some iced tea, okay?" Maka asked as they pinched her cheeks. They giggled and let her go into the kitchen, where Kilik was placing the plates into the sink.

"Rowdy bunch." he said to her as she opened the fridge to retrieve the iced tea she had made at four this morning. Why she had been up then? Oh, yeah, she and Tsubaki were making plans for later.

"Yep." she replied, setting the glass pitcher on the counter and reaching for three glasses, which was quite a feat for the petite sixteen year old girl. "They seem to think you're cute for some odd reason."

"Says the girl who went out with me her freshman year."

"Ha! I realized I didn't like you as much as I thought I did. It was all hormones."

"Here we go, blaming the hormones again." Kilik huffed, smiling a bit.

"So, what does it feel like? You know, being a high school graduate?" Maka asked, changing the subject on him.

"It's okay. I mean, I feel the same, you know? Like on your birthday when you're a whole year older than you were last year. I'm going to miss high school, though. You have to promise me to update me on everything."

"Promise. Hey, maybe this year Kim will actually accept a date with Ox!"

"That'll be the day." Kilik laughed, watching as she dropped ice into the glasses with soft _clinks_.

"It's possible though. I mean, despite how Kim treats Ox, she really does like him and I think he knows that, which is why he keeps asking her out. Maybe two months at Theatre Camp will make her realize her feelings for him."

"She's going to Theatre Camp?"

"Yep." Maka answered, pouring the tea into the glasses. "Her and Jackie."

"Did you ever stop to think that Kim and Jackie might be... you know, together?"

Maka frowned, setting down the pitcher.

"That's a load of bull and you know it. You forget how much us girls talk. Kim and Jackie would've told me and Tsubaki already if they were. I know for a fact that Kimmy really does like Ox. She just doesn't want to ruin their perfectly good friendship... despite how strange it is."

"Since when did you become Cupid?"

"Cupid?"

"Yes, Cupid."

"No, I mean what do you mean by that? Why am I Cupid?"

"You're helping to set people up."

"How am I setting people up?"

"Kim and Ox, you know all this stuff about them and you're trying to bring them together." Kilik said.

"First off, Kim _told_ me she likes him, a lot more than you think she does but don't tell him or else she'll know that I told and she'll kill me. Secondly, Cupid is a hunky male. I am neither hunky, nor am I male. And third, I am _not_ trying to bring them together... alone. I have Jacki and Tsubaki helping me out."

"You're right, you're not Cupid. Too smart to be an idiot like him. You're more like, what's her name? Oh, yeah, Athena."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Though, she probably had bigger boobs than you."

"That that back, Kilik Lunge!" Maka growled as he retreated, laughing, with the iced tea into the dining area with a snicker.

* * *

"So, any news?" Tsubaki asked as Maka braided her long hair.

She was back to visit for the summer, as she did every summer since she moved to her new home. The two had kept in contact through the school year and constantly sent pictures and emails. It was only over the past year that they Skyped one another, along with Kim and Jackie, two girls that had been in all of their classes when Tsubaki lived in Guillotine.

"No." the petite blonde huffed, shaking her head. "Done."

Tsubaki lifted the hand mirror to see herself. She turned her head this way and that to see the detail that had been pit into it. Her strands had been threaded with pebbles and small, dappled shells.

"You've really gotten good at this."

"Kim and Jackie let me practice with their hair. That, and we did a play we did for the children, _The Little Merman_. I was in charge of costumes and makeup. Trust me, that wasn't fun."

"I still remember the emails, Maka-chan."

"Yeah, yeah. Hey, you ready to go? I still need to get a bikini for this summer and for Harvar's first annual end of the year bash."

"Yes. I also need a swimsuit. Do you have money?"

"Papa gave me forty dollars." Maka held up the money to show her friend. "Do you have anything?"

"My parents got me a Student Visa this year as a birthday present. We'll have to stop at an ATM, but I'll have money." Tsubaki smiled and the two headed off to have some early summer fun.

* * *

"Hey, Maka, what do you think of this bikini?"

She looked over to her rather busty friend, who was wearing a rather skimpy poka-dotted bikini causing several males in the area to gape in awe and astonishment.

"I would rather not comment." Maka said, choosing her words carefully.

"It's too small, right? Okay, so I'm not alone on that." Tsubaki sighed in relief. "Do you think you can find me one that fits while I change out of this one?"

"Sure."

Maka stood up and walked over to the racks where one-piece and two-piece swimsuits hung on thin plastic hangers. She found a violet one-piece that suited her friend and brought it over to the changing rooms. On her way back, she spotted a bright yellow bikini. She shook her head; no, that would never look good on her.

She rapped on the changing room door and held the swimsuit under it. Tsubaki tugged at it and she let go. Several minutes later, the dark haired girl walked out with it on. It suited her much better than previous one and the others that came before it.

"Much better." she sighed, looking at her friend. "You sure know how to choose the right ones for me."

"It's nothing." Maka said with a smile. For real, it was nothing. She knew her friend and she knew what she liked and disliked, she knew what her friend could and could not wear.

"Now we have to find one for you." she said, eyeing herself in the mirror. She turned back to Maka and smiled before heading back into the dressing room to change into her regular clothes. She popped out and dragged Maka over to the racks lined with swimsuits. Her friend wasn't going to look at some of them herself, she needed to be prodded into the water apparel.

The dark-haired girl pulled out several styles in different colors and ordered Maka to change into them. The blonde did as she was told, with less gusto than her companion. None of them were... right.

"One more." Tsubaki pleaded when her friend's patience started to wear thin. She held out the yellow one she had been eyeing earlier. Did she have the courage to put it on? Apparently, she did, as she had stripped off the other one and had slid this one on.

It fit her like a glove. The color amplified the gold flecks that dashed her eyes with a more zealous color in a unique way and the ruffles on her chest teased the mind into thinking that she wasn't as flat as she actually was.

She flung the dressing room door open, startling Tsubaki and several women who were waiting for daughters, siblings, friends, or whomever else was in their private little changing areas. The dark-haired girl clapped her hand in triumph. They had found the right one.

"It's absolutely perfect on you." she cheered.

"I know!" Maka giggled excitedly.

"Hang on, there was a cute skirt to go with it."

Tsubaki raced off to get the skirt that went with the ruffled bikini. She brought it back and tied it loosely around her hips.

"You look so cute, Maka-chan." the dark-haired girl exclaimed, pulling her into a backwards embrace.

Maka beamed. She was ready for this summer.

She quickly changed out of the bikini so they could purchase what they wanted. As they were heading to Maka's Jeep, she saw something out of the corner of her eye.

_His hair lacked any sort of color, like a polar bear's..._

She blinked and looked over. There was nothing. She shrugged it off as a gull flying around the area.

There were none.

* * *

The Chilly Starfish was a local hotspot for adolescents during the summer months. In the fading hours, however, not many were there. So, this meant that the chairs surrounding the bar-like eating area were empty, except for Maka and Tsubaki who were chatting with the waiter behind the counter.

"Hey, Ox," Maka called, her mouth full of what they had ordered. She gulped it down once, twice, thrice before talking again. "Another basket."

He rolled his eyes and grabbed more from the fridge, dumping the egg rolls into the frying oil. The timer dinged merrily when they were finished. He scooped them out and set them in a plastic basket with a deep maroon sauce.

"Another order of Philly Cheese Steak egg rolls." Ox Ford said, set it in front of them. He looked at Maka quite seriously in the eyes. "You're going to get fat if you don't stop eating those."

"Stop making them taste so good." she growled playfully as she bit into one. "So, have you had a lot of customers today?"

"Sort of. People mostly slept in or went shopping. What did you guys do today?"

"Shopping." Tsubaki and Maka chimmed together. The looked at each other an giggled.

"I'm still surprised you have money left."

"I only bought one bikini." Maka hummed, twirling the shredded steak and Swiss Cheese stuffed appetizer.

"I'm sure."

"No really, I did."

"Whatever."

"I _did_!"

The blonde rolled her eyes. Ox was just teasing her, as he used to when they were children but in a much more friendly way than in their earlier years.

"Anyway," Tsubaki said, keeping the two from arguing any further, "I need to start working on my application for college. Maka, would you like to help?"

"Sure. What are you doing it on?"

"I had this vision..."

"Here we go." Ox grumbled, adjusting his glasses. Maka glared at him.

"Since we'll be spending most of our time on the beach, the reef, and at a few other places, I kind of figured like a summer, beach-y theme... or ningyo."

Maka's eyes widened.

"Ningyo?" Ox asked. "What are they?"

"Japanese mermaids. I thought it would be interesting."

"Ah, you could do a Japanese version of _The Little Mermaid_. Do you want me to call up Kim to see if she still has the mermaid tails she made?"

"Oh no, I have one made." she said, reaching into her shoulder bag and pulling out a very realistic looking tail.

_It looks just like mine!_ Maka said, accusing Tsubaki with her eyes.

_You're my inspiration._ the other shot back. _Please?_

_...Fine._

* * *

"I can't believe you want me to wear that!" Maka hissed as they started up the stairs that lead to the front door of the motel.

"I don't expect you to." Tsubaki said calmly. "It's really just a cover so that people will think it's a replica tail. At the end of each photoshoot, we just get it wet and put it in a plastic bag. We hang it up outside every night to dry it. Simple."

"...Are you sure you're Tsubaki? You're much too devious to be her. The Tsubaki I remember would never do something so... conniving."

The dark-haired girl giggled as they entered the cool building. They started up the stairs but were stopped by a familar face.

"Thank _god_ you're back." Kilik sighed upon seeing them, shooing them back downstairs. "Those annoying girls from this morning are gone, but we have four new guests. They're rather... interesting. Anyway, I need help."

"But I'm still—"

"On break? Don't care, come on."

He dragged her into the dining room to meet the new guests. They immediately stopped talking upon seeing them. One of them clucked, clearly annoyed that their conversation was interrupted.

"This is Maka, Spirit's daughter. If you need anything at anytime, just ask her." Kilik said introducing his friend. He pointed out each guest in turn. "Maka, this is Ragnorak Armageddon, Medusa Gorgon, Arachne Gorgon, and Crona."

The blonde nodded to each, putting names to faces, something she was quite good at. Ragnorak was the freaky man smirking in the corner. Medusa was a kind-faced woman who smiled a tiny smile politely. Arachne was the woman dressed in historic Gothic clothing. And Crona was the violet haired... person writing in a journal.

"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you." Maka said graciously. She caught Tsubaki peeking in from around the corner. She pulled her out into plain view "This is my friend Tsubaki. She's staying her while her parents visit family further inland this summer." She looked at her male friend and said, "Kilik, Tsubaki and I need to go change for Harvar's party tonight." She then turned her attention back to the guests. She bowed. "I really hope you enjoy your stay here."

When she, Tsubaki, and Kilik left, Arachne sipped the hot tea that she had asked for, delighted in it's creamy, sweet taste.

"So, sister, was she the one?" she asked, brushing a dark tress away from her elegant face, lips pouting delicately.

"From what I could tell," Medusa said, "she most definitely is. Crona, I want you to ask if you can go with them to that party tonight."

"B-b-b-but I... But I..." stuttered the rather nervous Crona.

"I swear to god, if you say that you wouldn't be able to do, I swear I'll kill you."

"...Alright, mother, I will go."

* * *

**So, yeah... That's that chapter. Now, to work on the one no one but myself has seen. And wants to burn.**

**Remember, if you have any questions or thoughts, don't be afraid to ask or say them. I allow anonymous comments and I'm pretty open minded about things.**

**Now that that's all said and done, I think I'm going to watch _Brave_. I've been having the urge for it for a while now. On to the television! **

**But first, on to the weather - I mean reviews.**

* * *

**Thank you to Renting for adding this story to your favorite stories list.**

**Thank you to MysticDancer for adding this story to your story alerts list.**

**SymmetricalGirl8DeathTheKid: I wouldn't know about better, but thank you. ^_^**

**JumpanShrimpcayk: XD I'm glad you picked up on that before I said anything. Oh, thank goodness about the onigiri thing. I've heard of people using Saran wrap but I personally have never done it that way. Good to know I'm pretty old school.**


	5. Chapter IV

**Here we go. A chapter that no one but me has seen. I hope everyone enjoys this. **

**It's the shortest chapter for quite some and is probably a nice break from the previous chapters.**

**My dear readers, may I present chapter 4 of _Out of the Blue_.**

* * *

**Out of the Blue**

**by iOc**

**Chapter IV**

_**Dreams**_

"Something fearless in your eyes,  
Something careless about your smile…"  
— "Underwater" by Delerium

The waves curled protectively around her, pulling her deeper into their depths. She was cradled and lulled into a familiar sense of bliss. She welcomed it.

Turning around, she could see the reef. Above, a stormy sky; lightening crackled menacingly through the clouds, rain pounding the water. Everything was muffled and seemed so far away from where she was.

She kicked her legs and moved forwards.

She frowned.

Legs? Why did she have legs? Shouldn't her tail have taken their place by now?

A rumbling to her rights caught her attention, leaving her to forget why her legs weren't her tail. Rocks and coral tumbled down to the sandy bottom, coating the world in a state of disrepair and tragedy.

She swam as fast as she could to get out of the way of the debris, but as in all dreams, she moved slowly. She willed herself not to panic as she kicked her way through. Her will was not strong enough and she moved even slower.

She felt her heart flutter anxiously in her chest, and she tried to gulp it back down when it tried to escape via her throat. Her legs scissored frantically and her arms flailed.

Water tossed and curled between her appendages, breaking and flowing as easily as air. She didn't like it. It didn't feel… _**right**_.

She opened her mouth, to scream, and water rushed in. She tried to spit it back out, but that required expelling her lungs of precious oxygen. She gulped it down and hoped for the best.

She felt two warm arms wrap around her. She went to slap them away but realized who ever was carrying her was taking her away from the crumbling reef. She, instead, allowed herself to be cradled in safety and heat.

Her heart pounded in threes throughout her mind.

Whoever she was with was very familiar to her. She knew them very well, almost… intimately… Yes, that was the word. Intimately.

Her heart pounded louder and louder, waking her up from her sleep.

Maka blinked her eyes open and regretted it. Her room was blindingly white in the morning light. She covered her face with her arms and breathed in the smell of clean sheets and ocean brine. She must have left her windows open again.

The pounding of her heart continued -

She removed her arms from her face and turned to look at the door. Someone was knocking.

Grumbling, she detangled herself from her blankets and watched where she stepped. She, thankfully, didn't trip over any stray clothes or shoes scattered haphazardly about. She twisted the knob and opened the door.

"We really have to stop starting my day like this." she said to Kilik, who stood ready to knock once more.

"Then stop staying up late."

"It's _**summer**_. I'm still in _**high school**_. Let me _**stay up late and sleep in**_. I'm _**supposed **_to get _**extra sleep**_…or some other nonsense like that."

"Come on, up and at 'em, blondie. We've got work to do."

She grumbled some choice words under her breath, closing her door, and started digging through her things for clean clothes. She chose out a simply green T-shirt and jean shorts, and she quickly changed.

It was going to be a long day.

* * *

Maka found the unusual family sitting once again at a table. She noticed that their eyes followed her, as her cat Blair watching them meticulously. She found that to be odd. The cat generally didn't care about the guests and, normally, just hung around in Maka's room or wherever her father was. The familiar yellow eyes scrutinizing them was nerve wracking…

She quickly replenished the continental breakfast buffet that had dwindled considerably since it was placed out and checked on the guests' drinks. They didn't need anything at the time, but they promised to call her over if anything crossed their mind.

They did, eventually, and it was Medusa who spoke.

"My dear," said she, "would it be alright if my Crona joined you and your friend at the little get together tonight? We heard you and your friends talking about it last night, forgive us for eavesdropping. My sweet child hasn't socialized with anyone in a long time."

"Oh, uh…" Maka said, unsure of how to really respond. She was _sure_ that Harvar wouldn't mind. "Yeah, I guess… Crona can come with us."

She still wasn't sure of the violet haired person's gender. She promised herself to ask when she got the chance, it was only polite, after all.

The rest of the day passed smoothly, with the Gorgon family heading out to do touristy things around town. They came back, loaded with shells and whatnot, a few hours later. They disappeared upstairs - as did Maka and Tsubaki, to get ready for the evening ahead - before they all reappeared downstairs to send the three teens off.

"We'll try to be back before ten." Maka said to Medusa and Arachne Gorgon. "Harvar's parties aren't know for running too late, mostly because he has to work in the morning, but there's always a first for everything."

"We don't mind so much." Arachne said, brushing her hair back. "So long as Crona is safe and comfortable, we don't care."

It was a very blasé attitude and somewhat irksome in Maka's books. It reminded her too much of her father. She didn't like these women.

"Right," Tsubaki said, taking her friend out of her thoughts, "ready to go?"

The robust young woman looked between her two companions. They _looked_ ready, physically, but mentally… she wasn't quite sure. So, Tsubaki looped her arms through Crona and Maka's, and started towards the door.

Crona waved farewell with a fearful look back. Eyes were wide, mouth agape, and lips trembling oh-so-slightly.

Maka, on the other hand, just let herself to be pulled along. She allowed herself to become a part of the ebb and the flow of her friend's familiar movements.

* * *

Maka and Tsubaki introduced Crona to Harvar and some of their other school companions, many of who welcomed the violet haired person in their number. Patricia 'Patti' Thompson was the first to ask the question they all wanted to know.

"So," she said, "are you a boy or a girl? No offense or anything, but you look like you could go either way. Not bisexual or anything. Just physically, y'know?"

Crona muttered an answer quietly.

"Huh?" was the general consensus.

"I'm a boy."

They all looked him up and down and decided that, yes, Crona was a boy. The rest of the party was spent joking about it and drinking canned colas and juices.

Maka walked around, smiling as she viewed her friends going about what they normally did. She wasn't one for parties, really, but she was there to support Harvar and that was what mattered most. Right? That is what should matter, but there was the scense of something else. It was if something was supposed to happen that night.

The air was heavy and sweet and smelled of ocean brine. Over the raised voices and obnoxious clubbing music she could hear the sea. It sung to her, beckoning her to join the waves and let everything else go. The siren to her Odysseus.

She breathed heavily and tried to put the nearby body of water out of her mind. She sipped the Coca Cola and sighed, sitting down on the stone garden fence that blocked a person from tumbling down the steep hill beyond.

Her green eyes lazily wandered around the crowd. People chatted or danced or drank or sang horribly along with the current song. It must have been pretty popular, but the sounds of the pleasant wailing of the partygoers.

She caught something out of the corner of her eye. It was for a split second and she wasn't quite sure that she even seen it, but she felt compelled to look.

She felt her jaw drop slightly and her eyebrows raise.

There, in the light of the burning tiki torches, was someone she hadn't seen in a long time, chatting with Harvar.

Someone with white hair and red eyes.

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**Don't forget to check out my annotated version on deviantArt. It has lots of fun notes and secrets that no one but me knows when I compose these chapters. Most of them are pretty funny and they hold interesting information to help you understand some bits and pieces better. Lots of symbolism in the first three chapters.**

**I celebrated my birthday yesterday with my mom. We went out to a Chinese buffet. I was really craving for lo mien noodles. XD**

**And now, for the weather.**

**Thank you to caitlinpund and A Paper Dreamer for adding this story to your story alerts list.**

**Thank you to A Paper Dreamer for adding this story to your favorite stories list.**

**SymmetricalGirl8DeathTheKid: Ha ha, be excited. It's perfectly normal. :D I'm glad you look forward to these chapter updates.**


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